From 御(み) (mi-, honorific prefix) + 門(かど) (kado, “gate”); literally "the honorable gate", that is, the gate of the Japanese imperial palace. The term was once used metonymically for the main occupant of the palace, thereby avoiding naming him directly, which was considered disrespectful. Compare Sublime Porte as a term for the Ottoman court and government, and pharaoh (from Egyptian pr-ꜥꜣ…